Fungal Diversity in Intertidal Mudflats and Abandoned Solar Salterns as a Source for Biological Resources.

Heo Heo,Park Park,Kim Kim,Lee Lee,Kang Kang,Kwon Kwon

doi:10.3390/md17110601

Abstract

Intertidal zones are unique environments that are known to be ecological hot spots. In this study, sediments were collected from mudflats and decommissioned salterns on three islands in the Yellow Sea of South Korea. The diversity analysis targeted both isolates and unculturable fungi via Illumina sequencing, and the natural recovery of the abandoned salterns was assessed. The phylogeny and bioactivities of the fungal isolates were investigated. The community analysis showed that the abandoned saltern in Yongyudo has not recovered to a mudflat, while the other salterns have almost recovered. The results suggested that a period of more than 35 years may be required to return abandoned salterns to mudflats via natural restoration. Gigasporales sp. and Umbelopsis sp. were selected as the indicators of mudflats. Among the 53 isolates, 18 appeared to be candidate novel species, and 28 exhibited bioactivity. Phoma sp., Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Penicillium sp. and Pseudeurotium bakeri, and Aspergillus urmiensis showed antioxidant, tyrosinase inhibition, antifungal, and quorum-sensing inhibition activities, respectively, which has not been reported previously. This study provides reliable fungal diversity information for mudflats and abandoned salterns and shows that they are highly valuable for bioprospecting not only for novel microorganisms but also for novel bioactive compounds.

Highlights

As interest in marine living resources worldwide has increased, research on marine fungi has progressed considerably over the past two decades, including the discovery of new species and novel natural compounds [1]
Intertidal sampled from mudflats and abandoned salternssalterns in Yongyudo, Gopado, Intertidal sediments sedimentswere were sampled from mudflats and abandoned in Yongyudo, and Yubudo onlocated the coast
The fungal communities in the abandoned salterns in Yubudo and Gopado had been restored to a similar status as those in the mudflats, but that was not the case of the saltern in Yongyudo, which was abandoned less than a year ago

Summary

Introduction

As interest in marine living resources worldwide has increased, research on marine fungi has progressed considerably over the past two decades, including the discovery of new species and novel natural compounds [1]. It is still insufficient compared to the research on terrestrial fungi, but the study of marine fungi has been extended to intertidal zones such as mangrove forests and coastal wetlands [2,3]. There are other unique intertidal environments such as mudflats and abandoned salterns. There are different types of tidal flats, and mudflats are differentiated from sandy tidal flats. Mudflats are a kind of coastal salt marsh made of clay deposited by waves and rivers and are a unique environment as they are exposed to the atmosphere twice a day depending on the tide.

Methods

Results

Conclusion